Spieth Headlines List of 4 Major Champions Committed to Valero Texas Open

Valero Texas Open

Valero Texas Open officials announced today that Jordan Spieth, a three-time major championship winner, headlines a group of major champions scheduled to compete in San Antonio this April.

In addition to Spieth, U.S. Open champions Jim Furyk, Graeme McDowell and PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner are in the field. Boerne resident Jimmy Walker, a past Valero Texas Open and PGA Championship winner, was part of an earlier announcement of committed players.

Spieth, an 11-time PGA TOUR winner, will be competing in the Valero Texas Open for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2015, the same year he won his first major at the Masters Tournament. Spieth followed the win in Augusta with a U.S. Open title and two more wins on his way to Player of the Year honors and being crowned FedExCup Champion. In 2017, Spieth won The Open Championship, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three legs of the Grand Slam before the age of 24. The Dallas native and University of Texas alum is currently ranked 23rd in the world.

The 2019 edition of the Valero Texas Open, which is scheduled for April 4-7 at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, will be the first of a 10-year contract extension between the PGA TOUR and Valero Energy Corporation; a deal which positions the tournament in a coveted slot on the TOUR schedule the week preceding the Masters Tournament.

Dufner, a five-time winner on the PGA TOUR, won the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club (Pittsford, NY) two years after finishing second in Atlanta. His most recent win came at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament in 2017. This will be his first start in San Antonio since 2015.

Furyk captured the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields Country Club, the eighth of his 17 career victories. The 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team captain has a strong track-record here finishing no worse than T26 in three of his last four starts, including a T3 in 2013 and a T6 in 2014.

McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where the national championship returns this year for the first time since the Irishman won there. McDowell has three PGA TOUR victories and eight European Tour titles. This will mark his third consecutive start here.

Earlier, organizers announced player commitments from World No. 8 Rickie Fowler, 12th ranked Tony Finau as well as past Valero Texas Open champions Andrew Landry (2018), Kevin Chappell (2017), Jimmy Walker (2015), Martin Laird (2013) and Brendan Steele (2011). San Antonio residents Cameron Champ and Abraham Ancer are also in the field.

Photo: Getty Images


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